The Dana Point Headlands are a 68-acre nature preserve on the bluff that gives the city its name, featuring restored native coastal plants that were nearly extinct along the Orange County shoreline. The land was originally part of the Chandler family holdings and was one of the last large undeveloped coastal parcels in the county. A ten-year approval process with the California Coastal Commission reduced the original plan from a multi-story hotel and hundreds of housing units down to 118 home sites, with the bluff itself turned over to public use as a nature preserve1.
At a glance: The headlands are the actual geographic feature Dana Point is named for. On a clear day you can see Catalina Island and La Jolla from the trail. The nature center documents the βlostβ plants of the Southern California coast that were restored here.
The Fight Over the Land
The Strands at Headlands parcel sat undeveloped for decades after the Dana Strand Beach and Tennis Club, a mobile home community on the beach-facing land, closed in the late 1980s2. The original development proposal included a large multi-story hotel on the bluff top and hundreds of residential units. Over ten years of negotiation, the California Coastal Commission pushed the scope down. The developer agreed to designate the bluff as a nature preserve and build over $11 million in public improvements: stairs to Strands Beach, restrooms, a beach-front sidewalk, and a funicular to transport visitors from the parking lot to the beach3.
Lots in the resulting 118-home gated community were offered for sale in fall 2006. Modern houses in the development are commonly priced above $10 million.
The Preserve
The nature center and walking trails exhibit native plants that once grew along the entire Southern California coast but have been displaced by development elsewhere. The headlands trail is flat and exposed, running along the bluff edge with unobstructed views south to San Clemente and west to Catalina Island on clear days.
The bluff geology is unstable. The neighboring community of Niguel Shores is subject to the eroding bluffs of the Strand, and landslide activity along this stretch of coast is likely to recur as sea levels rise and storms intensify.
Access
The Headlands trail and nature center are open to the public daily. Parking is available in a lot off Selva Road. The funicular to Strands Beach below operates during daylight hours. The trail is paved and wheelchair-accessible for most of its length.
Further Reading
References
Footnotes
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Wikipedia, βDana Point, Californiaβ β Strand section β documents the ten-year approval process, the 118-home reduction, and the $11M public improvement agreement. β©
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WILLON, PHIL, βParadise Found in a Trailer Park,β Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2002 β history of the Dana Strand Beach mobile home community. β©
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βNew cliffside cable car to Dana Pointβs Strand Beach debuts,β Orange County Register, January 27, 2016 β confirms the funicular and public improvements. β©